Search

The emerging fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) threatens the diversity of amphibians, particularly in North America where it is projected to invade. Amphibian skin defenses include a mucosal layer containing microorganisms that can potentially modulate host response to pathogens such as Bsal. In this study, we focused on the composition of the skin microbiome across life stages of spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum). We also evaluated the stress hormone corticosterone and skin microbiome response to inoculations with Bsal and probiotics at both the larval and juvenile developmental stages, and the response to different environmental conditions. Results indicated that both bacterial and fungal communities found on the skin significantly differed in structure and diversity between life stages of A. maculatum. Exposure to three different probiotics (Bacillus thuringiensis, Chryseobacterium rhizoplanae, and Penicillium sp.) and Bsal evoked shifts in the microbiome of larvae and juveniles, and the metabolite profile of the larval mucosal layer of A. maculatum. Despite changes in the microbiome, all tested probiotics and Bsal were unable to persist on the skin. Larval bacterial microbiomes shifted in response to Bsal and B. thuringiensis with no significant impacts on antifungal function or bacteria richness, however fungi strongly responded to Bsal and B. thuringiensis application. This indicates that developmental shifts in the microbiome can be initiated by microbial applications such as B. thuringiensis, a widely used mosquito larvicide. Overall, experimental results indicate that life stage, growth and development, and environmental conditions appeared to be the main factors driving changes in the amphibian skin microbiome and potential anti-Batrachochytrium function.

Key Clinical Message Neuroendocrine tumors of the bladder are rare, accounting for less than 1% of all bladder tumors. Among these, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma is an extremely uncommon subtype. We report on a histologically confirmed case of mixed both large and small cells neuroendocrine tumor of the bladder in a 64‐year‐old male with a history of bilharzial cystitis. The diagnosis was made after radical cystectomy with Immunohistochemical staining revealing positivity for synaptophysin, CD56, and AE1/3. While bilharzia is commonly linked to squamous cell carcinoma in the bladder, the potential relationship with neuroendocrine tumors is still relatively unexplored in this context. This case marks the first reported instance of the atypical coexistence of bilharzial cystitis and mixed large and small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the bladder. This unique case of coexisting highlights a rare phenomenon warranting further study. Similar associations have been documented in other organs, emphasizing the importance of exploring underlying mechanisms and clinical implications for improved patient care and outcomes.

DSSC is solar based electrical energy with dye organic matter as sensitizer. The organic sensitizer used to be a freshly extracted pigment. This study used organic dye that had previously been prepared in dry form. This dry dye is more practical to be used in DSSC without taking a long time for extraction. The organic dye derived from Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth) leaves. The leave’s extract was dried by using a foam mat drying method with the fillers of dextrin (10% w/v) and gum Arabic (10% w/v), and egg white (2% w/v) as a foaming agent. The application of dried dye was arranged in 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10% (w/v, ethanol solvent), and a freshly prepared extract was also performed as a control. The results showed that the highest amount (0.63 mg/L) of chlorophyll content was in DSSC with the application of 10% (w/v) dried dye. The best DSSC electrical performance was found in the treatment of 4% dried dye with the electrical characteristics including: Voc: 589 mV, Isc: 0.0408 mA, Vmax: 230 mV, Imax: 0.0347, fill factor: 0.332, Output: 7.98 mW and efficiency: 4.95%.

Key Clinical Message Penile self‐mutilation may result from a suicidal attempt during a major depression crisis. The management of this urological emergency should be multidisciplinary. A macroscopic penile reimplantation performed meticulously by a urological surgeon may yield an excellent cosmetic and functional outcome. Abstract Penile self‐mutilation is an infrequent form of self‐harming behavior seen primarily in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and rarely reported in those with major depressive disorders. We herewith present a major depression related case of penile self‐mutilation successfully managed by macroscopic penile reimplantation performed 8 h after the incident.

Duck hepatitis A virus (DHA) is very fatal viral disease affecting young ducklings under one month old. The disease is generally spread among duckling flocks inducing sever dramatic and economic losses. The present research highlights investigation of duck hepatitis virus through collection of hundred spleen and liver field samples from various commercial 3-11 days old duckling sectors (Pekin and Mullard) at ten Egyptian governorates in 2022 and 2023 with historical view of high mortalities and nervous manifestations with background of previous immunization. The clinically infected specimens were directly screened using RT-PCR assay to detect duck hepatitis A virus through amplification of VP1 gene that reveals only one sample (obtained from Menofia governorate) was positive for DHAV-3. BLAST analysis of Partial obtained sequence of VP1 gene showed that it was closely related Egyptian strain (accession number OR543968) besides nucleotides and amino acid changes were observed in comparison with other strains. Phylogenetic analysis of the obtained strain revealed clustering with viruses of Chinese origin and distinctive from vaccinal strains utilized in Egypt. Successful isolation of duck hepatitis A virus was achieved through inoculation of tissue homogenates into allantoic cavity of 9-11 day old embryonated chicken eggs. The outcomes of this work supplied rationalized knowledge about the epidemiological criteria of DHA virus in Egypt; emphasize the significance of DHA survey and vaccine selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Clinical Message: Neuroendocrine tumors of the bladder are rare, accounting for less than 1% of all bladder tumors. Among these, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma is an extremely uncommon subtype. We report on a histologically confirmed case of mixed both large and small cells neuroendocrine tumor of the bladder in a 64‐year‐old male with a history of bilharzial cystitis. The diagnosis was made after radical cystectomy with Immunohistochemical staining revealing positivity for synaptophysin, CD56, and AE1/3. While bilharzia is commonly linked to squamous cell carcinoma in the bladder, the potential relationship with neuroendocrine tumors is still relatively unexplored in this context. This case marks the first reported instance of the atypical coexistence of bilharzial cystitis and mixed large and small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the bladder. This unique case of coexisting highlights a rare phenomenon warranting further study. Similar associations have been documented in other organs, emphasizing the importance of exploring underlying mechanisms and clinical implications for improved patient care and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Islam Shahin,1 Caterina Del Mar Bonnin,2 Elsayed Saleh,3 Khaled Helmy,4,5 Usama M Youssef,6 Eduard Vieta2 1Cairo Mood Center, Cairo, Egypt; 2Barcelona Bipolar Disorders and Depressive Unit, Hospital Clinic, Institute of Neuroscience, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; 3Department of Psychiatry, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt; 4Training and Research Unit, New Nozha Hospital, Alexandria, Egypt; 5Ciconia Recovery London (CRL), London, UK; 6Department of Psychiatry, Zagazig University, Zagazig, EgyptCorrespondence: Islam Shahin Tel +201150759876Email ishahin10@yahoo.comBackground: The DSM5-defined mixed features in depression do not include psychomotor agitation, irritability or distractibility because they are considered overlapping symptoms. A growing number of modern psychiatrists have expressed dissatisfaction with this and proposed alternative sets of mixed symptoms that are much more common and clinically relevant. Among such alternative criteria were those proposed by Koukopoulos. He utilized the research diagnostic criteria of agitated depression (RDC-A) as a mixed depression subtype, and validated another form of mixed depression, the Koukopoulos criteria for mixed depression (K-DMX).Purpose: This study provides psychometric validation for the first self-rated scale designed to measure the most common mixed symptoms in depression as proposed by Koukopoulos.Patients and Methods: We conducted a multicenter cross-sectional study of 170 patients with unipolar depression. They completed the Shahin Mixed Depression Scale (SMDS) and underwent expert interviews as a gold standard reference. SMDS’ psychometric properties were assessed, including Cronbach’s alpha, factor analysis, sensitivity, specificity, predictive value and accuracy.Results: We found significant association and agreement between mixity according to SMDS and the gold standard (K-DMX and RDC-A according to expert interview) with good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha=0.87), high sensitivity (=91.4%), specificity (=98.0%), positive predictive value (=96.9%), negative predictive value (= 94.2%) and accuracy (=95.2%). Factor analysis identified one factor for psychomotor agitation and another for mixity without psychomotor agitation.Conclusion: SMDS was a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the frequently encountered and clinically relevant mixed features in depression.Keywords: mixed depression, mixed depression scale, major depressive disorder, psychomotor agitation, agitated depression, unipolar depression

Abstract Background Adenanthera pavonina L. is an important medicinal plant and its barks are used in traditional medicine for treating different diseases. Therefore, a phytochemical investigation was carried out to isolate and identify secondary metabolites from its barks. Results Seven compounds namely ethyl 3,3-dimethyl-13-hydroxytridecanoate (1), stigmasta-5,22-dien-3β-ol (2), tert.butyl tridecanoate (3), 6-α-hydroxy stigmast-20(21)-en-3-one (4) of dichloromethane extract and 18-(2′, 3′-dihydroxyphenyl)nonadec-17-en-2-ol (5), 1-(N-propyl amino)-2-henecosanone (6), and stigmast–5(6), 20(21)-diene-3-one (7) were isolated from the barks of Adenanthera pavonina Linn. Of these compounds, 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7 appear new. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques, mainly by NMR. Conclusions Five new and two known compounds have been isolated and characterized from the bark of A. pavonina. The isolated compounds could be a potential template for the synthesis and development of new lead compounds with interesting pharmacological properties. Graphical abstract

Abstract Background Potassium bromate (KBrO3) has been used widely for water disinfection, hair coloring, oxidizing agent in food, food additive in bread making process as maturing agent, and as dough conditioner for flour. Purpose This study was carried out to investigate the effects of two doses (150 and 300 mg/kg) of ethanolic extract of strawberry leaves on antioxidant capacity of liver, kidney and testis, thyroid hormones, and kidney function in rats treated with potassium bromate as toxic and free radical producer compound. Study design Forty-eight male rats were divided: group 1 served as control, group 2 treated with oral dose of strawberry leaves extract (150 mg/kg), group 3 treated with oral dose of strawberry leaves extract (300 mg/kg), group 4 treated with oral dose of potassium bromate (20 mg/kg), group 5 treated with strawberry leaves extract (150 mg/kg) and potassium bromate (20 mg/kg), and group 6 treated with strawberry leaves extract (300 mg/kg) and potassium bromate (20 mg/kg) for 4 weeks. Methods Determination of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), glutathione (GSH), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in liver, kidney, and testis tissues. Measurements of serum total protein, albumin, urea, creatinine, free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), and insulin. Results Administration of potassium bromate (KBrO3) induced significant increase in TBARS; decrease in GSH and SOD in liver, kidney, and testis tissues; non-significant decrease in total protein and albumin; significant increase in serum urea, creatinine, and FT3; and significant decrease in FT4 and insulin. Administration of strawberry leaves extract showed significant improvement in some studied parameters. Conclusion In conclusion, the protective effect of strawberry leaves extract may be attributed to its antioxidant property.

Lung cancer remains a major public health concern among all cancer diseases due to the toxicity and side-effects of the available commercially synthesized drugs. Natural product-derived synthesized anticancer drugs are now of promising interest to fight against cancer death. Carvacrol is a major component of most essential oil-bearing plants with potential pharmacological activity, especially against various cancer cell lines. Among the other organometallic compounds, copper complexes have been reported to be effective anticancer agents against various cancer cell lines, especially lung and leukemia cancers, due to the nontoxic nature of copper in normal cells since it is an endogenic metal. In this study, we synthesized three carvacrol derivatives, i.e., carvacrol aldehyde, Schiff base, and copper–Schiff base complex, through an established synthesis protocol and characterized the synthesized product using various spectroscopic techniques. The synthesized derivatives were evaluated for in vitro cytotoxic activity against different cancer cell lines, including human lung cancer (A549) and human fibroblast (BALB-3T3). Our findings showed that the copper–Schiff base complex derived from carvacrol inhibited the proliferation and migration of the A549 cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. This activity might be due to the inhibition of cell proliferation and migration at the G2/M cell-cycle phase, as well as apoptosis, possibly through the activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the activity of the copper–Schiff base complex of carvacrol against A549 cell lines. Our result highlights that a new synthesized copper complex from carvacrol could be a novel potential drug in the treatment of lung cancer.

Aim: The present study was aimed to establish a protocol for the evaluation of the in vitro potency of commercial inactivated Newcastle disease virus (NDV) oil-adjuvanted vaccines using hemagglutination test (HA) and blocking ELISA (B-ELISA) based on polyclonal antibodies. Materials and Methods: Aqueous phases from a total of 47 batches of inactivated NDV vaccines manufactured by 20 different companies were extracted with isopropyl myristate. The viral antigen in each sample was detected and quantified by a standard HA test and a B-ELISA assay. To verify the efficiency of the antigen extraction method used in the batches which showed HA and to test the validity of using in vitro antigen quantification by HA and B-ELISA tests, a subset of 13 batches (selected from the total 47 batches) was inoculated in groups of 3-4-week-old specific pathogen-free chickens using the recommended vaccine dose. The immunogenicity of the selected vaccine batches was assessed by the NDV-hemagglutination inhibition antibody titers in individual serum samples collected 4 weeks after vaccination. Further, the efficacy of the vaccines and their protection rates were determined by a challenge test carried out for the vaccinated chickens with the Egyptian 2012 isolate of the virulent NDV genotype VII. Results: A strong correlation was observed between HA titers and B-ELISA mean titers in the tested 47 batches (R2=0.817). This indicated the possibility of using the latter in vitro assays for vaccine potency assessment. The recommended protective NDV antigen titer measured by B-ELISA was determined to be 28 ELISA units per dose. The comparison between the HA titers of the aqueous extracts of test vaccines and the corresponding results of in vivo potency assays (i.e., immunogenicity and efficacy), including antibody titers in the serum of vaccinated birds, indicated that the efficiency of the antigen extraction used may interfere with obtaining a strong correlation between the in vitro and in vivo results. Conclusion: HA or B-ELISA tests can be used as rapid and cost-effective alternatives to traditional in vivo potency tests for vaccine potency assessment by quantifying the NDV antigen present in aqueous phase extracts of the tested vaccines. The latter in vitro protocol, however, requires efficient extraction of the antigen to be able to obtain good correlation with the traditional in vivo potency tests.

Cooling of cold storage space in hot climates consumes significant amounts of energy, which can be conserved with the help of thermal insulators. The main goal of this study is to conduct a life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis over a period of 10 years in order to determine the optimum insulation thickness (OIT), energy saving, and pay-back period for minimizing installation and operational costs of cold storages in any given climate zone of Jordan. These climate zones were represented by four Jordanian cities, i.e., Amman, Mafraq, Ma'an, and Aqaba. In this analysis, three commercially available insulation materials were selected, namely Rockwool (RW), expended polystyrene (EPS) and polyurethane (PUR), for a wide range of cold storage temperatures (0, −5, −10, −15, −20, −25, and −30 °C). Electricity was considered as a source of energy. It was found that EPS has the best energy savings and shortest payback period compared to other insulation materials. Therefore, its use in cold storage exterior walls insulation, with OIT suggested in any climate zone of Jordan, is economically feasible. An insulation characteristic curve for EPS was prepared, which includes the OIT and cost saving over a wide range of cooling degree-day and coefficient of performance (COP) values. Keywords: Cold storage, Energy saving, Insulation characteristic curve, LCC analysis, Optimum insulation thickness, Payback period

Orchids are rich treasure troves of various important phytomolecules. Among the various medicinal orchids, Ansellia africana stands out prominently in the preparing of various herbal medicines due to its high therapeutic importance. The nodal explants of A. africana were sampled from asymbiotically germinated seedlings on basal Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium and were micropropagated in MS medium supplemented with 3% sucrose and 10 µM meta topolin (mT) + 5 µM naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) +15 µM indole butyric acid (IBA) + 30 µM phloroglucinol (PG). In the present study, the essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation and the oleoresins by the solvent extraction method from the micropropagated A. africana. The essential oil and the oleoresins were analysed by Gas Chromatography (GC) and GC/MS (Mass spectrometry). A total of 84 compounds were identified. The most predominant components among them were linoleic acid (18.42%), l-ascorbyl 2,6-dipalmitate (11.50%), linolenic acid (10.98%) and p-cresol (9.99%) in the essential oil; and eicosane (26.34%), n-butyl acetate (21.13%), heptadecane (16.48%) and 2-pentanone, 4-hydroxy-4-methyl (11.13%) were detected in the acetone extract; heptadecane (9.40%), heneicosane (9.45%), eicosane (6.40%), n-butyl acetate (14.34%) and styrene (22.20%) were identified and quantified in the ethyl acetate extract. The cytotoxic activity of essential oil and oleoresins of micropropagated A. africana was evaluated by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium Bromide) assay on Vero cells compared to the standard drug doxorubicin chloride. The present research contains primary information about the therapeutic utility of the essential oil and oleoresins of A. africana with a promising future research potential of qualitative and quantitative improvement through synchronised use of biotechnological techniques.

This study proposes a unified shear design provision for slender steel- and fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP)-reinforced concrete (RC) members. The proposed model is a modification of the ACI 318-19 model to include the axial stiffness of the longitudinal reinforcement by introducing a new modification term, nc, representing the elastic modular ratio of the longitudinal reinforcement to the concrete. The new relation is Vc = (0.4 [ncρfl]1/3 λs√fc' + Nu/[6Ag])bwd. The unified shear model was assessed with five experimental data sets: FRP-RC beams without shear reinforcement (288 beams), steel-RC beams without shear reinforcement (759 beams), FRP-RC beams with shear reinforcement (56 beams), steel-RC beams with shear reinforcement (157 beams), and steel-RC beams with axial force (prestressed) but without shear reinforcement (209 beams). The unified shear model provided better performance than the ACI 318-19 and ACI CODE-440.11-22 provisions in terms of mean, coefficient of variation, standard deviation (SD), and absolute average error (AAE). The unified model also showed improved performance over a wider range of material properties. In addition, reliability analysis using Monte Carlo simulation indicated that the unified shear model provides a consistent satisfactory safety level with a reliability index between 3.5 and 4.0 for both steel- and FRP-RC members. The reliability index provided by the unified model is similar to the reliability index provided by the ACI 318-19 shear provision. In contrast, the ACI CODE-440.11-22 results in highly conservative estimates with a reliability index between 4.5 and 5.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Iraqi Journal of Desert Studies is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)